Bicycle Accident

Atlanta is an incredibly modern city. As one of the fastest growing hubs of business, the population in the city has increased greatly in the last decade. More people means more commuters—and more people are choosing to ride bicycles as their way of getting around Atlanta. Of course, more bikes on the road leads to more bike accidents. Over the past few years, bicycle injuries in Atlanta have skyrocketed. Read the rest »

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reem has joined the Mayor’s Summit for Safer People and Safer Streets. According to an Atlanta In Town news report, the mayor has created a Safer Streets Advisory Committee to plan and carry out initiatives to make our roadways safer. They are tasked with developing projects that improve the conditions throughout Atlanta for pedestrians and bicyclists.

There are a number of plans already in motion. For example, by the end of the year, Atlanta will have a bicycle-sharing program in place that involves 500 bicycles and 50 rental stations. The city will also begin installing protected bike lanes.

In the meantime, there are steps you can take to help you avoid being in a pedestrian or bicycle accident. Read the rest »

A 66-year-old Canton man was seriously injured in a Georgia car accident when his bicycle collided with a Chevrolet pickup truck. According to a news report in The Canton-Sixes Patch, the bicycle accident occurred near the on-ramp to northbound Interstate 575 on the Cumming Highway in Canton. Officials say the driver of the truck that struck him remained at the scene of the crash. The cyclist was transported to a nearby hospital in critical condition. It is not clear if the driver will be cited for the collision.

Georgia Bicycle Accident Statistics

According to the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), there were 937 Georgia bicycle accidents in the year 2006. From the years 2000 to 2006, 6,797 bicyclists were involved in Georgia accidents resulting in 118 fatalities and 5,078 injuries. Of those crashes, six out of 10 were on city streets. When a serious injury or fatal bicycle accident occurs, it is vital to determine who was responsible for the crash and how it could have been prevented. Read the rest »

Teaching your child about brain injuries may increase the likelihood that your child will wear a helmet. According to a recent news report in The Atlanta Business Chronicle, 92.6 percent of the children who received brain injury education were using a helmet on every ride a month after the program took place. Researchers with Georgia Health Sciences University provided brain injury prevention and bicycle helmet safety information to 120 children aged 5 to 18 and found that 96.2 percent who received the information were still wearing helmets three months later. The study points out that only 80 percent of children who received an abbreviated version of the information were still wearing a helmet.

If you have a child who rides a bike, it is crucial that you encourage him or her to wear a helmet every time. Bicycle helmet use greatly reduces the chances of fatal brain injuries, yet many children ride without them. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only one in four children aged 4 to 15 wear a helmet when they ride a bike. Teenagers almost never wear one. Read the rest »

A 49-year-old man was injured in a Marietta car accident when a car struck his bicycle and drove away. According to a news report in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the hit-and-run accident occurred on southbound Canton Road north of Piedmont Road in Marietta. Officials say a dark compact car struck the cyclist from behind before leaving the scene of the crash. The victim of this bicycle accident has been listed in critical condition. The authorities are searching for a vehicle that may have damage to its front passenger-side fender, hood, and windshield.

It is illegal to leave the scene of an accident when someone has suffered an injury. Under Georgia Statute 40-6-270: “The driver of any vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to or the death of any person or in damage to a vehicle which is driven or attended by any person shall immediately stop such vehicle at the scene of the accident or shall stop as close thereto as possible and forthwith return to the scene of the accident.” Read the rest »